By Henry Kimoli
Sample this. She survived the KANU onslaught that saw her physically assault then Kitui DO David Taragon in 1994.
She waded through the sharks (or was she one of the fish) at Afya House during her tenure as Health Minister between 2002 and 2007. During the Nusu Mkate (half loaf) government forced by Raila Odinga after the 2007 disputed elections, Ngilu was nearly consumed by the graft inferno (did she ignite the fire?) at the Ministry of Water.
Now her cunning political past has caught up with her. Prime mover: Senator Enock Kiio Wambua.
But first, the Ngilu political journey;
This is the real political world of Kenya’s most daring and talked-about woman leader. The rabble-rouser, mercurial albeit controversial politician from Ithookwe, Kitui. Wife of one of Kitui’s most famous sons Engineer, Michael Mwendwa Ngilu, the politician has taken on and subdued (sometimes crudely) any threat to her fledgling political career that began in earnest in 1992.
So who is the real Charity Kaluki Ngilu?
1992 First multi-party Duel
Ngilu reckoned, and correctly that KANU was fixated with then Cabinet Minister George Ndotto as their candidate for Kitui Central. KANU afforded Ndoto lorry loads of cash and thugs in a bid to buy or steal the election Ngilu read the mood of the Kitui electorate and anchored her campaigns on the youth agenda. And so she mobilized university students to drive her campaigns. Ngilu ran on the Mwai Kibaki led Democratic Party ticket. She literally stripped Ndoto naked, consigning him to early retirement as the Mp for Kitui Central. Ndoto has to date never recovered from the humiliation. Little wonder he is cheering MCA’s in their attempt to impeach her Governorship.
1997 Elections
Ngilu dreamt big. In her sleep and while imbibing her favorite whiskey blend, we envisaged herself as the Commander in Chief of Kenya’s Armed forces. She decided she was Presidential material, practiced a presidential catwalk, and took on then President Moi head-on. And she was a formidable opponent. With her stunning looks and a well-toned body to boot, Ngilu generated wirl wind excitement wherever she went. The climax was an embarrassing incident at the University of Nairobi during which comrades carried her indecently on their shoulders.
The picture was generously published on the front page of the Daily Nation. She may have lost the election. But the Ngilu wave ushered in Kamba nationalism which to date is very vibrant and solid. By contesting for Presidency, she was seen as a spoiler to the Kalonzo Musyokas ambition as a successor to President Moi. This suspicion lingers on to date. Political commentators opined she was sponsored by then Vice President George Saitoti to weaken Kalonzo’s hold of Ukambani. And kill his chances of succeeding Moi.
2002
After her 1997 Presidential debacle, Ngilu cast her political lot with her political mentor, Mwai Kibaki.
Together with Ford Kenya’s Michael Kijana Wamalwa, they formed an alliance, NAK through which they stopped then derailed Uhuru Kenyatta’s grand march to State House. The three were going nowhere until Moi split KANU invited Raila to the KANU stable from where he slaughtered the KANU cockerel and fed it to the dogs. In his attempt to impose Uhuru on Kenyans. Raila led the Moi rebellion against Uhuru in favor of Kibaki.
He was later to rue the decision when Mt. Kenya mafia ceased Kibaki and sacked him in 2005. It was the first time since independence that a President (Kibaki) had received the backing of all 41 ethnic communities in Kenya, other than the Kalenjin who voted for Uhuru to a man. Ngilu went on to become a minister and key Kibaki anchor. Her wandering spirit however pushed her to Raila in the run-up to the 2007 Elections.
2007
During the epic duel between Kibaki and Raila, Ngilu becomes one of the Summit members. She locked Kibaki out of Ukambani. After the 2008 slaughter, Ngilu was one of the beneficiaries of the Nusu Mkate government as water minister.
But her restless soul again made her abandon Raila for Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013. For the first time since 2002, the Kitui people rejected her. She lost her attempt to become the first Senator of Kitui under the 2010 constitution.
She was rewarded with an appointed as the Minister for lands by Uhuru Kenyatta. In 2015, she was sacked over graft related allegations. She becomes bitter and moved on. But she revisited the Uhuru humiliation in 2017 when she backed Raila for the President against Uhuru. Having hidden( not buried) the political hatchet, Ngilu tactfully feigned raw political love for Kalonzo. The move worked and she easily beat Kalonzo’s right-hand men Governor Malombe snd Wiper chair David Musila.
The Ngilu Kalonzo war
Insiders sat Kalonzo has never forgiven Ngilu for derailing his stature and political ambition in Ukambani in 1997.
It is said with certainty that Ngulu was used by the late George Saitoti to check Kalonzo so that Saitoti could easily succeed Moi. Ngilu delivered the Saitoti assignment and derailed Kalonzo politically. The idea of the Saitoti camp was to keep Kalonzo busy in Ukambani. They were shell shocked when Kalonzo rode the wave.
The Kalonzo tiff with Ngilu
Insiders say Kalonzo has never forgiven Ngilu for derailing his stature and political ambition in Ukambani in 1997.
It is said with certainty that Ngilu was detailed by the late George Saitoti to checkmate Kalonzo so that Saitoti could neutralize competition in KANU ahead of the Moi retirement and in succession in 2002. Saitoti also bankrolled Moses Muihia in Gatundu South to defeat the rookie Uhuru Kenyatta in 1997.
The mathematics teacher replicated the same in other parts of the country to stave off opposition to his Moi succession plans. He However forgot to neutralize the deep state and both Uhuru and Kalonzo rode his assault to their current star political status. Of course, Ngilu delivered the Saitoti assignment and dented Kalonzo’s Moi succession chances. Kalonzo remembers this to date. Ngilu and her handlers were shell shocked when Kalonzo rode the wave and still remains very relevant politically. Saitoti has since died. Sadly.
Senator Wambua: Leading Ngilu onslaught in Kitui County
The new Kalonzo scenario
It’s an augmented scenario. Ngilu and Kalonzo can never work together in harmony. They are like day and night.
Reason? It so happens that Kennedy Kalonzo has matured politically. He wants to recreate and rebrand the Kalonzo dynasty in Ukambani. The young Kalonzo has grabbed his father’s mantle and working is working on tenable alliances in Kitui. Kennedy, the EALA Mp is ready to dive into the murky elective politics waters.
He will be in a formidable alliance that will seek to unseat Ngilu as Governor in 2022. If she makes it that far.
Now Ngilu is said to be toying with the idea of backing the William Ruto train in 2022. By that time, she may have been impeached like Baba Yao Waititu. Unless Raila purchases enough sanitation material in Dubai to clean her.
Make no mistake. Ngilu is staring at her worst political crisis. Age is not on her side. His knees are crumpling and ideas demeaning.
Her date with MCA destiny is due. Her sale by date may have finally arrived. She may scrap through though. But will be wounded badly. An iron lady is being smelted and to create a manageable, soft political mold. The smith and Kalonzo hatchet man is the youthful Kitui Senator, Enock Kiio Wambua. Wambua is the increasingly visible and powerful political operator who retrenched Senator David Musila, sacked the grumbling Jonstone Muthama and is now fumigating undesirable political weeds from the Wiper stable. Wambua is also a confidant of Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, a bosom friend of President Kenyatta and the deep state.
The daughter of Kasyoki is in deep trouble. Make no mistake here. Will she survive?
Harrykimoli@gmail.com
